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##  Schooling in Mexico: A Brief Guide for U.S. Educators. ERIC Digest.          

Most educators agree that it is important to take into account their            students' prior academic learning and experiences when planning                 lessons and delivering instruction. For this reason, teachers in                U.S. schools currently affected by Mexican immigration need a basic             understanding of schooling in Mexico. This Digest offers a brief                overview of Mexican education and a description of life in primary              and secondary schools. It includes practical notes based on this                information for teachers in the United States. A bibliography at the            end of the Digest lists sources for the information, which readers              can consult to learn much more about the educational experiences of             Mexican immigrant students and their families. HISTORYThe                 first important law related to education, passed under the                      leadership of Benito Juarez in 1867, declared that primary education            would be nonreligious, free, and obligatory. Later, Article 3 of the            1917 Constitution gave the federal government great powers over                 education and made all private schools subject to government                    supervision. 
A 1992 federal initiative changed Articles 30 and 31             of the Constitution and related new policies required secondary                 education (through grade 9) for all students; a re-emphasis of                  subject areas in the curriculum; and the decentralization of                    preschool, primary, and secondary education administration. Today,              Mexico has nearly reached its goal of providing facilities for all              school-age children. 
Yet, despite historical advancements and                 heroic efforts by educators, Mexico continues to struggle                       with "rezago," or educational failure. Millions of students are                 retained or drop out after primary school and secondary school.                 Rural communities--especially those of Indigenous people where                  millions of citizens speak Spanish as a second language--have high              rates of poverty. In these settings, many children drop out of                  school to work and support their families, which contributes to a               higher rate of illiteracy. ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURESMexican               schools are organized as shown below: 
Preschool and                           Primary 
Pre-escolar: Federally Funded programs for children ages              4-5. 
Primaria: Schools with grades 1-6 and at aleast one teacher              per grade. 
Multigrados: One-room schools with one teacher for                 grades 1-6 or multigrade schools with several teachers, each                    teaching more that one grade. 
Middle Grades (Grades                           7-9) 
Secundarias:  Schools that enroll most nonrural students,                including those who are college-bound. 
Tecnicas: Schools that                 provide vocational training for noncollege-bound                                students. 
Telesecundarias: Rural schools offering a televised                 curriculum, which enroll a majority of rural students. 
High                   School (Grades 10-12) 
Preparatorias and Bachilleratos: Schools for            college-bound youth, where students must choose one of 4                        professional areas: physical-mathematics, chemical-biological,                  economic-administrative, or humanities. 
Tecnnologicas and                     Comercios: Schools for students who have a particular vocational                career in mind. CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTIONMexican schools                 abide by federal policy and nationalized curriculum mandates. Each              year since 1964, the federal government has provided free textbooks             to every Mexican student in primary schools; students in grades 7-12            pay for their texts. Texts in grades 1-2 use the "global method,"               which combines social sciences and environmental studies. Throughout            primary school the teachers and texts emphasize Spanish and                     mathematics, and also include geographic and ecological knowledge.              Even in primary schools, Mexican texts include a straightforward,               in-depth curriculum about health and human sexuality. 
The grading             scale in Mexico is commonly 1 to 10, and teachers give examinations             5 times a year in each grade. The tests must cover the national                 curriculum, but are developed locally. There is a national                      examination at the end of the school year. Students who score less              than a 6 on the test are retained in the same grade level for the               coming year. 
Practical note. Mexican students coming from primary             schools have not been ability grouped. This U.S. practice may                   confuse parents and students alike. 
Since 1992, the secondary                 school curriculum has been divided into separate content areas. In              grades 7-8, mathematics is integrated to include topics in geometry             and algebra each year. In grade 9, all students take trigonometry.              Students are required to study a foreign language each year (3                  hours/week). Science is also required, although the lack of                     laboratory facilities in many schools limits possibilities for                  experiential learning. All students take courses in the arts (2                 hours/week) and technology (3 hours/week), which may be hampered by             inadequate equipment such as computers. By the time they enter high             school, Mexican students must choose among schools that will lead               them to college study, a technical career, or a business                        track. 
Practical note. Because of cultural and educational norms,             Mexican students are accustomed to seeing and producing art. For                example, the 2001-2006 national educational plan encourages a                   connection of the arts and language teaching. A focus on the arts               may help U.S. teachers engage immigrant students, but those students            should not be tracked into art and vocational classes at the expense            of academic skills. In fact, Mexican students often have strong math            and language backgrounds, which may exceed the expectations they                face when entering a school in the United States. LIFE IN                     SCHOOLSMexican schools have much in common with one another                 across the country. Every Monday there are patriotic exercises in               which the children display the flag, sing the national anthem, and              listen as adults exhort them to be respectful and conscientious                 students. Mid-morning there is a "recreo," a break to eat snacks and            play outside. The sense of time and pacing can differ greatly from              U.S. schools, where time is tightly scheduled and recreational                  activity is closely monitored. In Mexico, children are in school for            4 hours a day, and some urban students work in the morning and                  attend school in the late afternoon. 
Classroom life tends to be               more informal than in U.S. schools. In many schools, students engage            in frequent group work, often involving a great deal of student                 interaction and movement. At the same time, Mexican students are                expected to show respect to the "maestro/a" (the teacher). Parents              usually assume that teachers will make the best decisions for their             children, and it is not the norm for parents to intervene in school             matters unless asked. 
Practical note. Be aware that Mexican                   immigrant children are not accustomed to the long hours, the                    decreased time for social interaction, and the more rule-driven                 culture of most U.S. schools. 
There can be a vast difference                  between the educational experiences of urban and rural children.                Even as the population of Mexico becomes more urban, the number of              small communities increases. These communities are isolated and                 economically poor, and they have many daunting educational problems:            the difficulty of finding teachers willing to travel long distances             to teach there, students' inability to attend school due to                     impassable roads or family responsibilities, and the need for                   children to work. Rural students may have to leave their communities            after elementary school to attend school in a nearby town, and some             families cannot afford to pay for travel, textbooks, uniforms, and              other school costs after sixth grade. The same is true of poor urban            students, although they have more school choices where they                     live. 
Practical note. Despite these problems, rural students                  should not be viewed as deprived. A lack of computers, telephones,              and even electricity does not equate with a lack of culture. Also,              urban youth and some rural youth have access to Internet cafes,                 which are booming, especially in the cities. Although most rural                schools do not have computers, it would be a mistake to assume that             Mexican students are technologically illiterate. MAKING                       CONNECTIONS WITH MEXICAN EDUCATIONThere are many ways to learn              more about Mexican education. Educators should be aware of ongoing              efforts to connect Mexican and U.S. educators, and to create                    innovative professional development experiences: 
*  The Binational            Program, which involves dozens of states on both sides of the                   U.S.-Mexico border, has developed a Binational Transfer Document.               This document allows students who migrate between the two countries             to provide information about their academic achievements, including             their grades, and helps school authorities on both sides of the                 border make more informed grade-level and subject-area                          placements. 
*  In 1990 the Mexican government initiated the                   Program for Mexican Communities Abroad. Through this program, U.S.              school personnel may request copies of Mexican school textbooks for             the preschool and primary grades. Educators also can view                       descriptions of university course syllabi in Mexico, to see how                 content area subjects are supposed to be taught in Mexican schools.             For more information about these programs and others, visit                     http://www.Mexico-info.com/communities/ 
*  The Fulbright Program              offers opportunities for U.S. teachers to live in Mexico as part of             a teacher exchange, as does the Binational Teacher Exchange. Some               university programs immerse educators in Mexican life by having them            live with families and visit schools. 
Whatever the program or                 approach, learning more about the educational experiences of Mexican            immigrant students can help us make more informed decisions about               their coursework and better plans for teaching them. REFERENCES               ABOUT HISTORY AND CURRENT PROGRAMS AND POLICIESAndrade de                   Herrara, V. (1996). Education in Mexico: Historical and contemporary            educational systems. In J. L. Flores (Ed.), Children of La Frontera:            Binational efforts to serve Mexican migrant and immigrant                       students (pp. 25-59). Charleston, WV: ERIC Clearinghouse on Rural               Education and Small Schools. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No.            ED 393 634) 
Vaughan, M. K. (1997). Cultural politics in                       revolution: Teachers, peasants, and schools in Mexico, 1930-1940.               Tucson: University of Arizona Press. 
Villa, K. M. (1998).                     Guidelines to understanding Mexican educational credentials.                    International Education Forum, 18(1&2), 113-123. Association of                 International Education Administrators. 
REFERENCES ABOUT PRIMARY              SCHOOLS 
Candela, A. (1997). Demonstrations and problem-solving                exercises in school science: Their transformation within the Mexican            elementary school classroom. Science Education, 81(5),                          497-513. 
Macias, J. (1990). Scholastic antecedents of immigrant               students: Schooling in a Mexican immigrant-sending community.                   Anthropology and Education Quarterly, 21(4), 291-318. 
Martin, C.              J. (1994). Schooling in Mexico: Staying in or dropping out.                     Brookfield, VT: Ashgate Publishing. 
Paradise, R. (1994).                      Spontaneous cultural compatibility: Mazahua students and their                  teachers constructing trusting relations. Peabody Journal of                    Education, 69(2), 60-70. 
REFERENCES ABOUT SECONDARY                           SCHOOLS

Herr, K., & Anderson, G. L. (1997). The cultural                    politics of identity: Student narratives from two Mexican secondary             schools. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education,             10(1),45-61. 
Levinson, B. A. (2001). We are all equal: Student                culture and identity at a Mexican secondary school, 1988-1998.                  Durham, NC: Duke University Press. 
Zorrilla, J. F. (1998). Anomie             and education: The politics of innovation in a Mexican high school.             In G. L. Anderson and M. Montero-Sieburth (Eds.), Educational                   qualitative research in Latin America: The struggle for                         paradigm (pp. 117-135). New York: Garland Publishers. 
REFERENCES              ABOUT MEXICO/U.S. PROGRAMS

Dolson, D. P., & Villasenor,                     G. (1996). Migrant Education Binational Program. In Flores, J.                  L. (Ed.), Children of La Frontera: Binational efforts to serve                  Mexican migrant and immigrant students (pp. 125-134). Charleston,               WV: ERIC Clearinghouse on Rural Education and Small Schools. (ERIC              Document Reproduction Service No. ED 393 637) 
Miller, R. (1996).              Mexico's role in U.S. education: A well-kept secret. In Flores, J.              L. (Ed.), Children of La Frontera: Binational efforts to serve                  Mexican migrant and immigrant students (pp. 103-115). Charleston,               WV: ERIC Clearinghouse on Rural Education and Small Schools. (ERIC              Document Reproduction Service No. ED 393 636) 
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Dr. H. James            McLaughlin is head of the Middle School Education Program at the                University of Georgia, and a founder of the Georgia/Veracruz                    Partnership, which links U.S. and Mexican educators, social workers,            agricultural economists, and other professionals in study abroad                experiences, exchanges, and collaborative research                              activities. 
This publication was prepared with funding from the               Office of Educational Research and Improvement, U.S. Department of              Education, under contract no. ED-99-CO-0027. The opinions expressed             herein do not necessarily reflect the positions or policies of OERI,            the Department, or AEL.                                                      **Title:** Schooling in Mexico: A Brief Guide for U.S. Educators. ERIC Digest.          **Document Type:** Information Analyses---ERIC Information Analysis Products (IAPs) (071); Information Analyses---ERIC Digests (Selected) in Full Text (073); **Available From:** AEL, P.O. Box 1348, Charleston, WV 25325-1348. Tel:                             800-624-9120 (Toll Free). For full text:                                        http://www.ael.org/ERIC/digests/edorc02-5.pdf.                               **Descriptors:** Comparative Education,  Educational Environment,  Educational                   Practices,  Elementary Secondary Education, Foreign Countries,                  Immigrants,  Mexican American Education, Mexicans, National                     Curriculum,  Public Education, Rural Urban Differences                       **Identifiers:** ERIC Digests,  Mexico                                                        
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